Cotton-chopper.



No. 694,479. Patented an 4 |9027 .n l

J. T. lJAMES. coTTon cHoP'PEn.

(Application med Jung 11, 1901.) l

- (No Model.)

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`UNITED STATES PATENT .Fries JOHN T. JAMES, OF ALTUS, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

sr:n'.:Ilrent'r10NI forming part ef Letters Patent No. 694,479, dated March 4, 1902.

Application-died June 11,

To @ZZ whom, it fitug/concern:

Be itknown that l, JOHN T. JAMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altus, in the 'county of Greer and Territory of Oklahoma,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Choppers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, andtransmit the requisite movement of the chop-V per.

The invention also embraces the idea of` providing a chopper with an improved mechanism whereby the operating means of the chopper may be readily thrown in'V or out of gear with the wheels of the cultivator,so as to start or stop the movement of the chopper.

The invention also embraces the idea of providing a' chopper with an improved adjusting mechanism whereby the elevation thereof may be secured without interfering with the continuous operation thereof.

The novel details in the construction and arrangement of the several parts of the machine Will Vbe apparent from the detailed description hereinafter and the appended claims when read in connection with the illustration in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings one embodiment of the invention is shown for the sake of clearness and understanding the invention, and when hereinafter referring to the same like reference characters will refer to corresponding parts in the-several views, and p Figure 1 is an elevation of the attachment as applied to the axleof a cultivator. Fig.

2 is a section on the line ocx of Fig. l looking 1901. Serial No. 64,086.. (No model.)

toward the left. Fig. 3 is a corresponding section looking toward the right.

YReferring more specifically to the d ra\vings, 4 designates the ordinary conveyiugr-wheelsv of a cultivator,.and 5 the axle thereof, being, preferably, of the arched type shown.

Gis an elongated supporting-bar adapted to lie upon the surface of lthe axle 5 and be secured in position thereon by clamps or'bolts 7. At one end of this supporting-bar is a dependin'g'member 8, provided with an elongated slot 9, in which a bracket is secured through the medium of a boltandnut 11, by which a vertical adjustment ofthe bracket is afforded. In the bracket a pinion 12 is rotatively mounted, so that it may be brought in mesh with the teetlrof a relatively large bevel-gear 13, secu'red'to the spokes of the cultivator-wheel. The upper end of the axle of the pinion 12 extends throughth'e bracket upwardly yand is formed into a crank 14, which is secured to Ya pitman'le, which is designed to transmit motion from said crank and pinion to the supporting-bar 16. Inthe upper end of this supporting-bar is formed a seriesof apertures v16"-to provide' for the adjustment in which the endsV of vthepitman may engage and a proper adjustment thereof eected. This supportinglbar is in turn connected to a pin 17a, engaging in suitable apertures 17h. in an inverted-,V-shaped bracket 17, secured to the vsupporting member 6. This bracket is capable of a longitudinal adjustment by means of a bolt and nut 17cworking in the slot 17d in said supportingflneinber 6.

The chopper blade or knife is indicated at 18, and comprises a pointed end 18a and cutting edges 18h, the latter being slightly curved downwardly at their edges, as shown. The blade is carried by the arms 19, projecting vfrom the ends thereof upwardly to the sleeve 19a, adapted to slidably engage the main supportingbar 16. The purpose of slidably mounting the sleeve upon the supporting-rod is to provide for a slight adjustmentin the elevation of the cutting-blade withoutinterrupting `the continued vibratory movement thereof.l The sleeve is connected to a pivoted operating-lever 2O through the medium of the connecting-rod 20, adjustable at its upper ends, as at 20", and the lever is held in its ad- IOO justed position by the rack 2l, carried by the lower arm of the bracket 10 and rests upon the foot 22:L of an upright bent lever 22, which is adjustably pivoted at 22b to the lower arm of the bracket and extends upwardly to its handle 22C in convenient reach of the operator. Extending through a bracket 22d on the lever 22 is one end of a horizontal cross bar or lever 23, pivoted to the upper arm of the bracket l0 by a pin 23 and having at its other end a downwardly-extending head 23", which may be provided with any suitable antifriction device and is adapted to bear upon the back of the pinion 12. Alatch 24 is pivoted tothe upright lever in position to engage a notch 23c in the horizontal bar when the upright lever is thrown forward. The latch is provided with usual lever-handle 24 and a spring 241 to cause it to engage the notch. The arrangement is such that when the lever 22 is thrown forward the outer end of the cross-lever 23 is raised by the bracket 22, causing the head 23b to bear upon the pinion and force its teeth into engagement with those of the bevel-gear, in which position it will be normally held by engagement of the latch 24 in the notch 23C. IVhen it is desired to disengage the pinion, the latch is released and the lever 22 is thro. 'n back by the operator, and the foot of the lever engages the lower end of the axle of the pinion and lifts the same out of engagement with the gear-wheel. It will be seen that by the means described the vibration of the knife can be stopped at any time without stopping the cultivator.

The further operation may now be linderstood fully. The levers being adjusted to mesh the pinion with the bevel-gear 13, a rotary motion will be imparted to the pinion, which in turn through the medium of its crank and connecting-rod will give a vibratory movement to the blade -supporting rod. Should it be found desirable to raise or lower the blade to accommodate various elevations of the ground, such adjustment may be effected without in the least interrupting the operation of the blade by simply raising and lowering the lever 2O and engaging the same with the teeth of the rack 21.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a cultivator or the like, a cotton-chopper attachment detachably connected to the axle thereof, comprising a blade, a vertically-adj ustable rod forsupporting the blade, a laterally-adjustable bracket in which the rod is mounted, and means for vibratin g the blade comprising instru mentalities operated from the conveying-wheels ot' the cultivator, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a cultivator or the like, of a cotton-chopper attachment adapted to be secured thereto, comprising a blade, means for operating said blade, and means for adjusting the elevation of the said blade without interrupting the operation thereof, comprising a rod connected to the blade and a lever adjustably connected to the rod, substantially as' described.

3. In combination with a cultivator or the like, of a cotton-chopper attachment adapted to be secured thereto, comprising a blade, a

vibratory supporting-bar therefor, means for operating the bar, and means for adjustably securing the blade upon said bar, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a cultivator, a cotton-chopper attachment adapted'to be secured thereto, comprising a blade, a supporting-rod for said blade, a bracket carrying said supporting-rod, means for imparting a vibratory movement to said supporting-rod, an adjustable connection between the rod and its supporting-bracket and means permitting lateral adjustment to the bracket, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a cultivator, a cotton-chopper -attachment adapted to be secured thereto, comprising a supporting member, a bracket on said member, a supportingbar adjustably mounted in said bracket, means for imparting a vibratory movement to said supporting-bar, a rack on said bracket, a pivoted lever adapted to be adjusted in said rack, a rod connected to said lever, a sleeve at the end of said rod slidably mounted upon the supporting-rod, and a cutter suspended from said sleeve, substantially as shown and described.

6. In combination with a cultivator or the like, a cotton-chopper attachment comprising,r supporting means, a blade carried thereby, means to vibrate the blade comprising a pitman, a pinion connected thereto adapted to engage a gear-wheel actuated by the conveying means of the cultivator, a lever adapted to disengage the pinion from the gear-wheel, and another lever having a head bearing against the back of the pinion and adapted to be actuated by the first-mentioned lever to retain the pinion in engagement with the gear-wheel.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN T. JAMES.

Witnesses:

J. J. SATTERFIELD, W. H. GATES.

IOC

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